A Leader In Healthcare Construction, Tupelo Firm Also Major Player In Commercial, Civic, and Residential Projects
McCarty King Construction Company, founded in 1982, is a full-service construction company, offering general construction, planning, and project management. Located in Tupelo, Mississippi, McCarty King provides services throughout the Mid-South, with licenses in Mississippi, Alabama, Tennessee, and Arkansas. The firm is prominent in healthcare and senior living environment projects, as well as a varied range of commercial, civic, educational and residential projects – including new construction as well as multi-phased expansion and renovations of existing facilities.
Dan King, president and owner of McCarty King Construction, started with the company in 1985 as an estimator and project manager. Over the course of the last 31 years, he has played a major role in developing and growing the company.
“I was born in Amory, MS and raised in the Carolina community in Itawamba County,” he relates. “I graduated Itawamba Agricultural High School, and attended Itawamba Community College, where I studied drafting. I started out in residential construction, and worked in that field until the early 1980s. Then, after spending three years in Florida with a developer, I came back to Mississippi and joined McCarty Architects in 1985.”
He explains that the company wanted to expand into the design-build field, and King helped develop the building side of the business. In 2007, he purchased 49% of the construction operation, and took complete ownership in 2015. The company, which started with just four employees, now has a staff of approximately 25, King reports.
FIRM’S JOBS RANGE FROM MEDICAL FACILITIES TO BANKS TO SHOPPING CENTERS
“We do specialize in medical facility construction,” King confirms, “but we do all kinds of construction. Our commercial work includes banks, nursing homes, senior living facilities, and strip shopping centers. We also love to do renovations.
“We got into medical construction because the original owner wanted to establish strong relationship with clients who offered repeat business. We got our foot in the door in 1988 with the Northeast Mississippi Medical Center, and we continue to perform a considerable amount of work for them.”
Since establishing their expertise in the healthcare field, McCarty King has constructed and/or renovated a wide range of free-standing facilities, as well as diagnostic, treatment, and acute care environments in hospital settings. Many of these projects were executed in spaces that were already fully occupied.
A WIDE RANGE OF MAJOR MCCARTY KING RECENT PROJECTS
Asked about some of the firm’s bigger jobs, King says, “A large job we did was in Gulfport (MS); it was a 20-acre new retirement community, and a sizeable project. That was a challenging job, because we were so far from our home base; for one thing, we had to find local subcontractors.
“Currently, we’re working on a $1.2 million Mississippi Department of Transportation project in Booneville, which includes a crosswalk, curbs, and inlet construction. We’re also in the middle of a residential renovation, which is increasing the residence from 7,000 square feet to 11,000 square feet.
Among other recent McCarty King projects are the West Point Family Medical Clinic, a church renovation and expansion in New Albany, the Tupelo Crossroads Shopping Center, and the Magnolia Business Centre in Tupelo – which involved the complete renovation of an existing metal building that was originally designed as a hardware store.
EQUIPMENT RENTAL IS A GOOD FIT
While McCarty King owns several large pieces of equipment – including a Cat backhoe loader and two Cat skid steer loaders, Dan King says equipment rental is a good fit for their projects. “We rent a wide range of equipment, to supplement our own machines as needed for particular jobs. In the medical field, for example, we get asked to do all kinds of work, and it’s not practical to own everything we might need on a particular job.
“We basically use Thompson for all our equipment rental needs. Thompson covers the area where we primarily work, the machines are always in good shape, and Casey Clayton is always available when I need him, and is excellent to work with.
“Thompson does all our maintenance work, and we use their field service when needed. John Ware (Thompson’s Tupelo Service Operations Supervisor) provides timely service on the Cat machines we own. We know we can depend on Thompson and their equipment.”
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King reports that all his superintendents have been with him for over 20 years, with one of them onboard for over 32 years. King’s sons are part of the McCarty King team – Justin is one of his superintendents; Chris works in the field, but will likely transition into the office in the near future.
Dan King hopes to see business grow 30% this year. Asked about what has helped the company be so successful, he comments, “We always try to produce an excellent product. That helps lead to repeat business and helps establish long relationships with our clients.”
To learn more about McCarty King Construction, and see a portfolio of their projects, visit their website at www.mccartyking.com.